"Watch out!" Jiang Ye lunged and tackled Ye Shuli to the ground. At the very split second, a stone pillar thicker than their waists whistled past the tips of their noses and slammed heavily into the exact spot where they had just been standing.
The ground shook violently, and gravel flew everywhere.
"Holy crap! Good thing my reflexes are fast!" Jiang Ye muttered, half-relieved, as he climbed up and reached out to pull Ye Shuli to her feet.
"Sister Li, are you alright?"
Ye Shuli dusted herself off and stood up, her face looking rather grim.
"I'm fine, just a little bruised on the backside." She rubbed her sore spot and looked around, realizing they seemed to be trapped inside a massive stone chamber. Everywhere she looked were stone pillars that could come crashing down at any moment—it was a literal death trap.
"What kind of hellhole is this? Are we playing an escape room?"
"Sister Li, watch out!" Jiang Ye's sharp eyes caught sight of a stone pillar hurtling straight down toward the top of Ye Shuli's head, and he instinctively tried to use his Spiritual Energy to block it.
"Don't waste your Spiritual Energy!" Ye Shuli grabbed him by the arm. "That little bit of Spiritual Energy you have isn't even enough to tickle it!"
Jiang Ye looked bewildered. "Then what do we do? Just wait to die?" The surrounding stone pillars were closing in faster and the frequency of their drops was accelerating, leaving almost no room to dodge.
Yet Ye Shuli remained exceptionally calm. She narrowed her eyes, observing the movement trajectory of the stone pillars and the surrounding environment, a confident smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
"Of course not. Take a close look at these pillars..." She pointed at one of them. "Do you see any pattern?"
Jiang Ye followed her finger, still completely clueless.
"Pattern? I don't see any, other than the fact that they all want to smash us to death..."
"Idiot!" Ye Shuli didn't hesitate to roast him. "Look at the order in which they're dropping..." She was about to explain when her expression suddenly shifted, and she abruptly grabbed Jiang Ye's wrist.
"Hurry! Follow me!"
Before Jiang Ye could even react, Ye Shuli pulled him and sprinted in a direction that looked even more perilous.
"Sister Li! That way is even more dangerous!" Jiang Ye cried out.
Ye Shuli didn't answer. She only gripped his hand tightly, her resolute gaze fixed straight ahead.
"Trust me!"
Dragging Jiang Ye along, Ye Shuli leaped and bounded through the falling-rock formation as if taking a stroll in the park.
Jiang Ye's heart pounded in his throat; Sister Li's moves right now were simply god-tier!
"Watch closely!" Ye Shuli pulled Jiang Ye behind a giant boulder and pointed at a small hole near the base of a stone pillar, which was almost entirely swallowed by shadows. "The key to breaking the formation is right there!"
Jiang Ye stared blankly. "This? Just a little hole?"
"Less talking!" Ye Shuli picked up a sharp rock and aimed it at the small hole. "Ever heard of modern physics? Do you understand the principle of the lever? Know how a few ounces can move a thousand pounds?" With that, she hurled the rock hard.
The rock struck the small hole with pinpoint accuracy. With a sharp "click," the surrounding stone pillars actually came to a dead stop, suspended mid-air, completely motionless.
Jiang Ye was dumbfounded. That was insanely awesome!
He looked at Ye Shuli with eyes full of utter adoration. "Sister Li, you're truly my idol! From now on, I'm your number-one fanboy!"
Ye Shuli gave an arrogant sniff. "You? Want to be my fanboy? Get in line!"
Once the stone pillars stopped moving, a passageway leading deeper into the secret chamber was revealed.
The two of them cautiously entered the chamber to find it piled high with cultivation manuals and rare herbs radiating glowing spiritual light.
"We're rich! We're rich!" Jiang Ye's eyes shone, and he looked ready to lunge forward right then and there.
Ye Shuli couldn't hide her excitement either; this was practically a treasure trove!
She casually picked up a manual, flipped it open, and discovered it was the long-lost *Nine Heavens Profound Spirit Technique*!
Jiang Ye also grabbed an herb emitting dense Spiritual Energy, shouting in amazement, "This is... a Millennium Snow Lotus! They say it can bring the dead back to life!"
Immersed in their joy, the two failed to notice a dark figure slowly rising from the deepest recess of the chamber...
"Who's there?" Jiang Ye snapped his head around.
Deep within the stone chamber, the dark figure moved.
It wasn't human, but rather a metal Puppet whose eyes flickered with a gloomy red light, its entire body carved with intricate Runes.
It stiffly turned its neck with a *clack-clack*, producing a teeth-grating grinding sound as it locked its gaze onto Ye Shuli and Jiang Ye.
"What the hell is that?!" Jiang Ye let out a weird screech, instinctively stepping back to shield Ye Shuli behind him. "Sister Li, stand back and let me handle this!"
For a goofball, he actually had quite a bit of boyfriend energy at a crucial moment!
Though she inwardly scoffed, Ye Shuli didn't try to act tough—after all, she was currently a total combat zero.
Jiang Ye drew his treasured sword, and Spiritual Energy surged, casting a pale blue glow over the blade.
With a low shout, he charged at the Puppet, his sword light slashing toward its head like a strip of silk.
"Clang!" A deafening metallic crash echoed, sending sparks flying in all directions.
Jiang Ye felt a massive recoil ripple through his arm, leaving the web of his hand numb and almost knocking the sword from his grip.
How on earth was this Puppet's defense this strong?!
The Puppet didn't budge an inch. It swung a massive metal arm and swept horizontally toward Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye scrambled to dodge, barely managing to evade the blow.
"Good grief, it packs a punch!" Jiang Ye muttered as he dodged the Puppet's onslaught. "Did this thing grow up eating super-strength pills?"
The Puppet's attack speed grew faster and its strength more ferocious, leaving Jiang Ye increasingly strained.
After all, he was only at the Spirit User (Early-stage), so going toe-to-toe with a Puppet of unknown rank was clearly a bad idea.
Standing nearby, Ye Shuli observed the battle with tightly furrowed brows.
Brute force wouldn't work; she had to figure out another way...
Her gaze landed on the tiny joint crevices across the Puppet's body.
"Jiang Ye, its joints!" Ye Shuli shouted. "Attack its joints!"
Hearing this, Jiang Ye instantly grasped her intent.
Seizing an opportunity, he sidestepped the Puppet's attack, his figure flashing as he slipped behind it.
"Sister Li, watch this!" Jiang Ye yelled, gathering all his Spiritual Energy and thrusting his sword directly into the Puppet's knee joint.
"Clang!" Another loud crash rang out—Jiang Ye's sword actually bounced right off!
The defense at its joints was even stronger than everywhere else?!
"Damn it! Why is this thing so hard?!" Jiang Ye couldn't help swearing.
Seeing this, Ye Shuli quickly grabbed a long wooden stick off the ground and rushed up to the Puppet.
"Leverage principle, ever heard of it?" Ye Shuli muttered, jamming the wooden stick right into the gap of the Puppet's joint. Taking a deep breath, she put her entire body weight behind it and pried with all her might!
With a crisp "click," the Puppet's joint actually gave way!
"Nice!" Seeing this, Jiang Ye's spirit soared. Seizing the opening, he channeled every ounce of his Spiritual Energy and drove his sword straight into the pried-open joint.
"Boom!" With a thunderous crash, the Puppet collapsed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Done!" Jiang Ye cheered excitedly, turning to look at Ye Shuli, only to find her expression grave as she stared fixedly at the spot where the Puppet had fallen, slowly uttering a single word:
"Wait... something's wrong."
After defeating the Puppet, Jiang Ye was so happy he felt like a two-hundred-pound kid, scooping Ye Shuli up and spinning her around in circles.
"Sister Li, you're amazing! You're practically my goddess!"
Dizziness washed over Ye Shuli from the spinning, and she couldn't help punching him.
"Put me down! I'm about to purl!"
Jiang Ye quickly set her down, scratched his head, and laughed foolishly. "Hehe, I got too excited and couldn't help myself."
The two exchanged a smile, the previous tension and danger seemingly melting away.
The treasures lining the secret chamber dazzled their titanium-alloy dog eyes.
Jiang Ye grabbed a handful of Millennium Snow Lotuses and shoved them into Ye Shuli's hands.
"Sister Li, all these are yours! From now on, you're a rich lady!"
Ye Shuli accepted them without a hint of modesty, patting his shoulder with grand assurance. "Don't worry, your share of the perks won't be short in the future!"
Beaming with joy, the two happily divided their loot, feeling utterly fantastic.
Just as they prepared to leave this cursed place, they realized the door to the chamber had closed at some point, and eerie Runes had materialized across its surface, glowing with a faint red light.
"What the heck? What's going on now?" Jiang Ye slapped his thigh. "Don't tell me another trick is coming!"
Ye Shuli frowned as well. The vibe here was completely wrong...
Before she could speak, those Runes suddenly flared with blinding light, and the entire secret chamber began to shake violently.
"Sister Li..." Jiang Ye swallowed hard, his voice trembling. "I... I'm kind of freaking out..."
Ye Shuli grabbed his hand tightly. "Don't be scared, I've got you!" Yet, her own palms were slick with sweat.
Suddenly, a blinding flash of white light tore through the room...
"Ah!"